Glaucoma is any condition of the eye characterized by elevated intraocular pressure. It may be chronic or acute, and may be due to disease, injury, or the result of conventional operative techniques. Glaucoma can cause loss of sight, loss of light perception and/or intense pain.
There are various treatments for glaucoma, although none are entirely satisfactory for all indications. A relatively recent advance in the treatment of glaucoma is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,089 to Dr. David L. Epstein. This patent discloses a method for treating glaucoma by increasing aqueous humor outflow in the eye of a patient, thereby reducing intraocular pressure. Increasing outflow is accomplished by treating the eye with a molecule that contains a group capable of reacting with the sulfhydryl groups in the trabecular meshwork of the eye, and in particular treating the eye with ethacrynic acid and analogs thereof.
The present invention involves substantial improvements to the subject matter of the foregoing patent.